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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Hurricane Ernesto knocks out power to Puerto Rico, again; Beach restoration projects protect wealthy homeowners at taxpayers' expense; PLUS: U.S. Forest Service blocks bottled water company from taking California's mountain spring water... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Climate change-worsened wildfires drastically increased odds, severity of 2023 wildfires; Parts of Canada's boreal forest are burning faster than they regrow; In major shift, US to back global target to reduce plastic production; Nearly $10B in Hurricane Debby damage was in areas without flood insurance; Texas oil regulator under scrutiny as zombie wells gush back to life; Texas likely undercounting heat-related deaths; UK firm violating toxic pollutant limits at Louisiana wood pellet facilities... PLUS: The climate law's $8.8 billion in home energy rebates are starting to roll out... and much, MUCH more! ...
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...
- Musk and Trump: 'The dumbest climate conversation of all time':
- 'The dumbest climate conversation of all time': experts on the Musk-Trump interview (Guardian):
Despite Trump’s claims of new beaches, sea levels are rising faster along the US coastline than the global average, with up to 1ft. of sea level rise expected in the next 30 years – an increase that equals the total rise seen over the past century, US government scientists have found. - Bill McKibben: The Dumbest Climate Conversation of All Time (Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years):
“Someone said something stupid on the internet and I must correct them” is one of the great traps of all time—but when the someones are the richest person in the history of money, and the former and quite possible future president of the United States, and when they are spreading the most absurd and dangerous misinformation about the biggest crisis the world has ever faced…well. - VIDEO: Musk's famously clear explanation of climate change 8 years ago (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Elon Musk is wrong about climate change (Electrek)
- Hurricane Ernesto knocks out Puerto Rico's electric grid, again:
- VIDEO: Hurricane Ernesto leaves Puerto Rico without power as it heads to Bermuda (NBC News)
- Ernesto becomes a hurricane after pummeling northeast Caribbean and knocking out power in the region (AP)
- After Drenching Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ernesto Strengthens in the Atlantic (NY Times):
The storm left hundreds of thousands without power in the Caribbean. It now threatens Bermuda, and is not expected to hit the mainland United States. - Half of Puerto Rico has no electricity after Ernesto, utility reports (Washington Post/MSN)
- World's oceans finally break 15-month record hot streak:
- Earth's streak of months with record warm oceans ends at 15, NOAA finds (Axios)
- The oceans are weirdly hot. Scientists are trying to figure out why (NPR)
- Taxpayers foot the bill for expensive beach restoration projects:
- VIDEO: Taxpayers on the Hook to Protect High End Beach Communities (This Is Not Cool blog)
- VIDEO: Taxpayers bear cost of protecting high-end coastal communities from hurricanes (CBS News):
Hurricane season is nowhere near over, but already several storms have caused significant damage along the Eastern Seaboard. Taxpayers are paying a stiff price to protect high-end coastal communities from these powerful storms. - Beach erosion may be contributing to dangerous swim conditions at Jacob Riis Park, some experts say. Here's why (CBS News)
- When does renourishing beaches amount to just pouring money in the ocean? (The Invading Sea)
- Army Corps of Engineers launches 16-week renourishment project for Duval County beaches (News 4 Jacksonsville, FL)
- In fight against erosion, Pass-a-Grille Beach will get a multimillion-dollar influx of sand (Tamba Bay Business Journal)
- Sea level rise makes Florida ‘beach renourishment’ projects more frequent and expensive (Florida Phoenix):
Heavy hurricane season promises even more spending on sand that’s likely to wash away. - US Forest Service blocks bottled water company from taking CA's mountain spring water:
- USFS Orders Arrowhead Bottled Water Company To Shut Down California Pipeline (LA Times):
If the Forest Service decision stands, it would prevent the company from using the namesake source of its brand, Arrowhead 100% Mountain Spring Water...The Forest Service has been charging a permit fee of $2,500 per year. There has been no charge for the water. - Environmentalists urge California wildlife officials to investigate bottled water operation (LA Times, 5/26/2024)
- California regulators order Arrowhead bottled water to stop drawing from some mountain springs (AP, 9/29/2023)
- Bottling water without scrutiny (Desert Sun, 3/5/2015):
the U.S. Forest Service hasn't been keeping an eye on whether the taking of water is harming Strawberry Creek and the wildlife that depends on it. In fact, Nestle's permit to transport water across the national forest expired in 1988. It hasn't been reviewed since, and the Forest Service hasn't examined the ecological effects of drawing tens of millions of gallons each year from the springs.Even with California deep in drought, the federal agency hasn't assessed the impacts of the bottled water business on springs and streams in two watersheds that sustain sensitive habitats in the national forest. The lack of oversight is symptomatic of a Forest Service limited by tight budgets and focused on other issues, and of a regulatory system in California that allows the bottled water industry to operate with little independent tracking of the potential toll on the environment.
'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page
- Climate change-worsened wildfires drastically increased odds, severity of 2023 wildfires (Axios)
- Parts of Canada's boreal forest are burning faster than they regrow (NY Times)
- In Shift, US Backs Global Target To Reduce Plastic Production, Source Says (Reuters)
- Nearly $10B In Hurricane Debby Damage Was In Areas Without Flood Insurance (The Hill)
- Texas Oil Regulator Under Scrutiny As Zombie Wells Gush Back To Life (Reuters)
- The climate law's $8.8 billion in home energy rebates are starting to roll out (Canary Media)
- Texas likely undercounting heat-related deaths (Inside Climate News)
- Podesta Concerned Over 'Problematic' Elements Of Permitting Reform Bill (The Hill)
- Biden To Designate National Monument At Site Of Illinois Race Riot
(The Hill) - UK Firm Violating Toxic Pollutant Limits At Louisiana Wood Pellet Facilities (AP)
- This Oil Tycoon Brings In Millions For Trump, And May Set His Agenda (Washington Post)
- Extreme Heat Poses New Challenge For Aid Agencies In Gaza (Thompson Reuters Foundation)
- Climate change-worsened wildfires drastically increased odds, severity of 2023 wildfires (Axios)
- Germany Issues Arrest Warrant for Ukrainian Over Nord Stream Explosion (NY Times)
- Gas Explosion Destroys House in Maryland, Killing Homeowner and Gas Employee (NY Times)
- How Close Are the Planet's Climate Tipping Points? (NY Times)
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods. (AP)
- How to power your home through an outage without a gas generator (Washington Post)
- VIDEO: John Oliver on Trump's Project 2025: Blueprint for the Death of Democracy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
- How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
- Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
- How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
- The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
- Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)